Elgar: Child of Dreams

by Jerrold Northrop-Moore

Jerrold Northrop Moore pursues his quest for the essential Elgar and sets out the story of an extraordinary creative life. It shows themes of childhood, fantasy and vision fusing into a mature style of nobility and nostalgia. Above all, it links the composer to the English landscape that informed all of his work from his earliest years. This powerful short book is the outcome of half a century's thought and reflection by a leading Elgar biographer.

212 pages, Paperback

First published August 9, 1984

Reviews

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have listened to Elgar for many years but knew little about his life. He wrote Enigma Variations early on in his career, and he was also a violinist - performing with the Birmingham Symphony conducted by Dvorak, in the late 19th century. He had no little musical schooling and training, but had a good ear for the Severen Valley folksongs and landscape. The book helps to frame Elgar in a different light and where he fits into the English musical hierarchy.